Ferromagnetism induced in anisotropic stacked kagome-lattice antiferromagnet Cs$_2$Cu$_3$CeF$_{12}$

Abstract

The magnetic properties of Cs$_2$Cu$_3$CeF$_{12}$ were investigated through magnetization and specific heat measurements. Cs$_2$Cu$_3$CeF$_{12}$ is composed of a buckled kagome lattice of Cu$^{2+}$, which is stacked along the b axis. The exchange network in the buckled kagome lattice is strongly anisotropic. Consequently, Cs$_2$Cu$_3$CeF$_{12}$ can be divided into two subsystems: alternating Heisenberg chains with strong antiferromagnetic exchange interactions and dangling spins. The dangling spins couple with one another via effective exchange interactions, which are mediated by chain spins. The dangling spins are further divided into two subsystems, DS1 and DS2. The dangling spins in DS1 undergo three-dimensional ferromagnetic ordering at 3.14 K, while those in DS2 remain paramagnetic down to 0.35 K. The effective interaction between the DS1 spins is approximately expressed by the ferromagnetic $XXZ$ model with the $z$ direction parallel to the crystallographic c axis. A magnetic phase diagram for $H {\parallel} c$ was obtained and was analyzed within the framework of the molecular field approximation. With increasing magnetic field, the dangling spins are polarized and the magnetization curve exhibits a wide plateau at one-third of the saturation magnetization.